The first time I saw the Centre for Career Planning and Counselling past Sir Syed Gate at Kashmir University, it looked official, and full of promise.

I imagined a lively space where students hustled between workshops, recruiters came and went, and everyone seemed to be one step closer to internships and jobs.

That was in 2019. Five years later, I know better.

For thousands of students, especially at the School of Law, the Career Centre's presence is felt only in name.

I spent half a decade here and never once saw it make a difference to my career prospects. The Centre's own website paints a very different picture: it claims to“empower youth by offering comprehensive career guidance, coaching for competitive examinations, skill development, and placement support.”

On paper, it reads like a lifeline. On the ground, it's a ghost.

Between 2019 and 2025, the Centre claims to have facilitated placements for 317 students. Some offers were from companies like Asian Paints and Indigo Airlines, with salaries around ₹2 lakh a year, roughly ₹17-18,000 a month.

In a university of nearly 50,000 students, that is barely a drop in the ocean.

At the law school, one of the university's largest and most respected departments, not a single internship or job was arranged by the Centre during my time. My batch of 69 students didn't get placed through the university once.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in India, law schools actively connect students with top firms.

NALSAR Hyderabad sends graduates to Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, AZB & Partners, and Khaitan & Co with packages of ₹15-16 LPA.

NLU Delhi alumni land roles in global consultancies, multinational corporations, and chambers of senior Supreme Court advocates. Even private law schools secure hundreds of offers each year.

Kashmir University cannot match a fraction of that.

The problem is not limited to law. Students across management, commerce, social work, psychology, and education share the same frustration.

No structured effort links students with employers or internships. Many don't even know where the Centre is or who runs it.

A December 2022 article in a prominent Srinagar daily by university professors celebrated 150 placements over two years. I read it twice, stunned.

In a university of tens of thousands, these numbers should come from a single department in one year. Presenting such modest achievements as milestones reflects a culture that glorifies mediocrity.

MENAFN02102025000215011059ID1110144768